Debarati explores the haunting intersection of war and nature in this evocative piece for DifferentTruths.com, bridging grief and beauty.
Waves from a cinnabar ocean
crash against the lighthouse window.
A silhouette stitched
in burnt orange
carousels at the horizon.
Far away, a ship loses its sail,
drifting like an unanswered prayer.
The water gulps down
the brittle bones of the day,
sunlight dissolving
like ash in grief.
The moon gasps
under slick oil,
its silver throat choked
by missile fumes.
If wars could be charted
like sudden storms,
I would fling open the window,
let the waves dance on my chest,
teach my heart this staccato.
But every time I reach the latch,
the air grows heavy with ash.
My lungs turn to coal.
My poems choke.
And the waves keep knocking —
Picture design by Anumita Roy
Debarati Sen, an award-winning poet from Kolkata, published two solo poetry collections and contributed to more than 10 anthologies. She has recently made it to the top 50 poets in the NaPoWriMo 2023 writing challenge, and her poem, ‘Maple Dreams’, has been selected for the Yearbook 2022 to be published by Hawakal Publishers. Her haiku have been published in Haikuniverse, Five Fleas, Scarlet Dragonfly Journal, Suspect Device, Pan Haiku Review, and the Horror Senryu journal.
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